Hi,

I was pretty gung-ho about buying a used S80 until I started reading this forum. After spending some time here I’m having second thoughts. I’ve been looking at 2004 & 2005’s. I've been leaning towards the T6.

My first question is, are they really that bad when it comes to reliability? Is this the kind of car you only want to own if it’s under warranty?

Assuming that I haven’t been scared off, is there any real difference between the 2004 and 2005? Is there anything to look out for with the T6?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

There's a little more to it...

The early Volvo S80s (99 - 01/02) were more problematic then most other years, but some have had zero issues. From 2003 on the S80s became more reliable and the 2.5Ts are very reliable (it's a shared engine in a lot of the cars). That said, the T6s tend to have average to just slightly above average issues/maintenance requirements.

Is there a need to go with the T6, if not, I'd shop around for a 2.5T, maybe even a 2.5T AWD?

I thought I'd share my view with you guys.

I am a fan of Volvo since I was a kid and here I am eventually got my first Volvo.
With limited budget I was looking for any model but it had to be TURBO, othervise it's not fun and it rides as any other vehicle without turbo.
Befor buying my 1999 S80 T6 with 199,000 KM or 120,000 Miles I've read some of the posts and did not mind all of these issues. Logicaly at this milage everything that shoulg have gone wrong had been fixed by now. I like the S80 T6 it's fast, quite, dream on the highway and at 1999 it still turns heads.
I have it only 4 months and done on it 6,000 km or 3,700 Miles with joy. Had done some basic maintanance oil, filters, spark plugs.
So im my opinion if you're paying go with the T6.

One comment on the above...in 05 all the Volvo S80s had a turbo engine in the US. In 2004, Volvo did still offer the 2.9 (2.9L 6 cylinder) non turbo, but it wasn't as common of an engine.

The two turbos were a 2.5T (2.5L 5 cylinder) with 208 HP and a T6 (2.9L 6 cylinder) with 268 HP, so if you're looking from a pure turbo stand point that is a moot point with the small exception of the 2.9 (which is around 196 HP).

There is also a pretty big difference in fuel economy between the two turbos. The 2.5T is rated at 21/30 versus 18/26 for the T6 (2.9 Non Turbo is rated at 20/28 for reference) under old EPA standards. New EPA mileage estimates are 18/27 and 16/24 respectively (my actual is 22.5 for about 75% city/25% highway).

2002 s80 T6 84k miles.

As a comparison I also have a 2005 BMW 330 Ci 12k and 1997 Mazda MPV 160k. Former cars included a Lexus (never again! motor basically died at 75k without reason and Lexus blew it off), VW Jetta (150k at trade) Ford Explorer (130k at trade) and others.

I have always used mobil one at the Volvo service interval (7500 miles I think) and had dealer only service until warranty expired at 80k miles. No signs of leaks. I am not sure if the repairs I have listed below are "excessive" but I have had worse luck with a Lexus and Lexus was far less responsive than Volvo when I had problems.

My bottom line is, while not cheap to maintain, I like this car. It is still fast, comfortable and safe. If you want (or need) inexpensive dependable transportation, buy a used Honda with manual trans. I personally find almost all of the "dependable consumer reports best buy cars" fatally boring.

I have had the following under warrenty repairs in the first 50k which seemed a little execssive at the time: an alternator early on, windshield washer fluid tank, one sway bar link, the upper motor mount and something that involved the accelerator sensor. They also upgrade the software at scheduled service intervals. I then enjoyed 30k with little cost beyond the normal oil, filter etc.

I have not had transmission problems, but decided to change ATF at 80k to avoid them. I noticed that smoothed out a little vibration between 38 and 42mph. I had thought that was related to a wheel issue (the wife bent the wheel), but it seems not to have been the problem. I replaced the wheel anyway with a straightened wheel at a great price. Maybe the answer on the transmission is change the fluid early and often, not every 105k. While I do enjoy the power of this motor, I am not testing the limits on 0-60 or running at 130mph on a regular basis. If that is what you want, you might find a better trany/motor match.

I recently replaced the rotors pads etc that cost $$$ but less than similar work on say a BMW. I recently chose to replace struts and shocks, spring seats etc. I was getting a little noise due to a bad spring seat, and on inspection one strut looked like it was starting to fail. I wanted an upgrade, so I went with Koni FSDs. (As an upgrade the FSDs are an 7.5 or 8 out of 10). If I can address the power steering noise described below, IPD sway bars and HD links will be added in the fall. I expect to do the timing belt at 90k rather than at the recomended 105k.

I recently replaced a groaning power steering pump even though the dealer and an independent shop said it was operable. The independent said, does not seem all that loud to him, but I like the quite of this car, so it had to go. The car is no longer under warranty, so I did it myself. I still have more noise than I like from the new pump and have posted on that today. The dealer and independent both said the rack looked fine.

regards